Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the involvement of the Wagner Group and non-state actors in the conflict in Sudan.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK Government has repeatedly emphasised the negative influence of Russian activities in Africa. This includes reported Wagner Group involvement in the exploitation of Sudanese gold resources and supplying weapons to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they last made representations to the government of Burkina Faso about (1) the humanitarian situation in that country, (2) the threat posed by Al-Qaeda in the region; and what assistance they have provided to the people of that country in tackling hunger and terrorism.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is closely monitoring events in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region including the worsening security and humanitarian situation. The UK is committed to supporting stability and development in Burkina Faso. During a visit to Niger in February, the Minister for Development and Africa, Minister Mitchell, announced a new Sahel Regional Fund which will provide urgent life-saving aid and lasting, dignified solutions to people displaced by conflict and violence in hotspots of humanitarian need in the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso. The UK has committed £33 million to this fund up to 2026. Officials also visited Burkina Faso in January and raised concerns about the security and humanitarian situation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The UK continues to monitor closely the terrorist threat from the Sahel, including from Al Qaeda, and has proscribed the organisation and its associated groups such as Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat of Al-Qaeda in the Sahel region; and what steps they intend to take to counter that threat.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is closely monitoring events in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region including the worsening security and humanitarian situation. The UK is committed to supporting stability and development in Burkina Faso. During a visit to Niger in February, the Minister for Development and Africa, Minister Mitchell, announced a new Sahel Regional Fund which will provide urgent life-saving aid and lasting, dignified solutions to people displaced by conflict and violence in hotspots of humanitarian need in the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso. The UK has committed £33 million to this fund up to 2026. Officials also visited Burkina Faso in January and raised concerns about the security and humanitarian situation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The UK continues to monitor closely the terrorist threat from the Sahel, including from Al Qaeda, and has proscribed the organisation and its associated groups such as Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposed federation between Mali and Burkina Faso, and its potential impact on the stability of the Sahel region.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is aware that Burkina Faso's Prime Minister visited Mali in early February and referred to a 'federation' to boost their economic prospects. We are monitoring developments closely - Ministers have been clear that the approach that the Malian government is taking (including its partnership with Wagner Group) is counterproductive to regional security. The UK is a committed donor to the Sahel - in Mali and Burkina Faso, most of our funding is spent on humanitarian aid. The UK supports regional institutions including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union and are considering what support we could provide to regionally led initiatives such as the Accra Initiative to help prevent the spread of violence and foster long-term stability.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they have provided to (1) the African Union, (2) the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), (3) the Commonwealth nations in West Africa, to counter the threat posed by terrorists in the Sahel.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK works with and supports the efforts of the African Union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and countries across West Africa to counter the threat posed by terrorism, foster long-term stability and address the underlying drivers of conflict. The UK is assessing what support it can offer to the Accra Initiative, a regional security initiative, to help prevent the spread of violence and instability from the Sahel to coastal West Africa. In addition, the UK has strategic security partnerships with Ghana and Nigeria, which includes supporting Nigeria to address the causes of insecurity and conflict. The UK also continues to support stabilisation efforts in the Lake Chad Basin to build the capacity of the security sector in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad to respond to violent extremism and protect civilians affected by conflict.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Russian influence in Burkina Faso, and the role of the Wagner Group in that country.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Instability in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region is rising. Partnerships with Wagner Group are counterproductive to long-term stability and we know Wagner Group commits human rights abuses. We are working closely with international partners to counter the malign use of such proxies by Russia and have designated the Wagner Group, and its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, under the Russia Sanctions Regime. The UK remains committed to supporting regional security through our humanitarian, development, and stabilisation programmes.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prospects of external mediation of a peace process in Cameroon following the government of Cameroon’s rejection of the government of Canada’s initiative to mediate talks between parties to the current internal conflict.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Inclusive dialogue is critical to achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the North-West South-West regions of Cameroon. The UK continues to raise this with the Government of Cameroon and to encourage commitment to a peace process. The Minister of State for Development and Africa [Minister Mitchell], met with Cameroon's Minister of Defence in January and the Deputy Foreign Minister in March to press for continued mediation efforts. The UK is also responding to the impacts of the conflict with humanitarian assistance.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the arrest and detention of Zimbabwean MP Job Sikhala, and (2) its implications for the prospects of a free and fair election in that country in the coming year.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is aware of the trend of lengthy detention of government critics in Zimbabwe. We continue to monitor the ongoing detention of Job Sikhala MP, including through direct observation of court hearings. As the British Ambassador publicly stated on October 2, the UK is committed to the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and association as enshrined in Zimbabwe's constitution. It is for the people of Zimbabwe to choose their government through peaceful, credible and inclusive elections. We encourage the Government of Zimbabwe to implement the recommendations of the 2018 Electoral Observation Missions and to allow space for political opposition and civil society organisations to operate freely ahead of elections in 2023.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the government of Zimbabwe to monitor elections in that country; and what steps they have taken to support any initiative by (1) the African Union, or (2) other multilateral (a) governmental, or (b) non-governmental, organisations in respect of those elections.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The UK is working alongside international partners to prepare support for domestic and international election observation missions however, as is standard practice, invitations for observation mission will not be issued by the Government of Zimbabwe until the election date is announced. Alongside a small British Embassy Harare electoral monitoring mission, we hope to see larger electoral missions from the African Union, Southern African Development Community, EU, Commonwealth and other NGOs.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the repatriation of artefacts in UK museums and galleries and the legality of the acquisition of such artefacts; and, where acquisition is contested, whether they have any plans to legislate to facilitate the return of any such artefacts.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Museums and galleries in the UK operate independently of the Government. Decisions relating to the care and management of their collections are a matter for the trustees of each museum, including research into items’ provenance and claims for restitution. Last year, Arts Council England published guidance on the handling of restitution claims and practical advice for museums on this matter.
Some national museums are prevented by legislation from deaccessioning objects in their collections unless, broadly, they are duplicates or unfit for retention. The two exceptions to this are when the objects are human remains less than 1,000 years old, and objects spoliated during the Nazi era. The Government has no plans to change these laws.